Nintendo first announcedHyrule Warriorslate last year and we haven't heard many details since. This title, which is being developed by Team Ninja, makers of the long running Dynasty Warriors franchise, will feature drastically different gameplay than the rest of the Legend of Zelda franchise. Japanese site Otakomu uploaded images of Famitsu, released earlier today, which showed off some new story details and characters, while also offering Japanese fans a solid August 14th release date.

Hyrule Warriors will have Link rushing to save Princess Zelda, who has once again been kidnapped by the forces of darkness. This time, the culprit is an evil witch named Shia. Whether or not Shia is under the control of an even darker presence is unclear, but we wouldn't be surprised if Ganondorf found a way to sneak himself into this title somehow. Granted, this title is rumored to take place after the events of Ocarina of Time, but we doubt that Nintendo is going to try to squeeze this into the official timeline. As far as other characters are concerned, Impa, Zelda's attendant, has been confirmed to make an appearance in this game. The article also states that there will be other playable characters, some of which may surprise fans.

Story aside, Japanese fans will have the chance to choose between multiple retail versions of the game. A premium set will be available for at least 10,000 yen, while the standard retail release will cost at least 7,000. Digital downloads will be slightly discounted at about 6,000 yen. The exact price of these releases hasn't currently been confirmed, but these estimates seem to be somewhere in the correct ballpark. We're still not sure what the premium set will include, or whether it will be a limited collector's item.

Sadly, most of this information is only useful to Japanese fans, though we're sure Nintendo will make some announcements regarding the project during their E3 presentation in a few weeks. We'll have more information concerning Hyrule Warriors once it becomes available.